Unfortunately, I drive a ghetto minivan which causes the police to profile me and has caused people in small towns to call the police on me if I am in a public park or in their neighborhood. I even had someone call the police on me at campground that I had pre-paid for and the police were not sympathetic at all to my right to just exist.
I am aware of stop and identify laws and know that a cop needs reasonable suspicion to demand to see your ID. However, can’t the cop just make up some lies about reasonable suspicion?
If a cop approaches me can I immediately start with: “Officer, do you have reasonable suspicion that a crime has occurred, is in the process of occurring, or is about to occur?” It seems like that will immediately escalate things even if technically the law is on my side.
I just want a damn right to exist law and to not be a target for an overactive imagination by the police which treats me like a criminal until they can check me for warrants.
Honestly, I want to tell them to fuck off right away but I also don’t have money for a lawyer.
If you’re not doing anything illegal then I highly recommend keeping your hands out in the open where they can see both of them, and politely answering their questions.
They have a gun, so its not about right/wrong, it’s about your own safety. You don’t know if that’s a decent one or a shitty one.
Not sure if it’d help, but you could stick a buuunch of camping, hiking, outdoors, etc. stickers on your van. Try to turn its image from a “ghetto” van to a “hippy / outdoor enthusiast” van. I imagine you can order large sticker packs online for very cheap.
Yeah, that is a good idea. It would probably work best on a VW van like the kind surfers use. I suppose with enough stickers strategically placed it could look like you were into rock climbing, or surfing, or something involving the outdoors.
Just a heads-up, vans with climbing stickers can attract break-ins because they tell people “there’s a bunch of expensive gear in here that would be easy to fence”. Happens all the time in vegas. Hope you stay safe out there!
Maybe a bunch of penguin stickers and one that says, “Ask me about Linux!”
Might hurt on date night, though.
“There’s a bunch of computers in there! But we don’t know how to use them.”
Yeah, rock climbing sounds even better than hippies for this purpose.
I just had a mental image of some overweight dude with tons of rock climbing stickers on their van. (Not implying anything OP, but just a funny picture I imagined)
After seeing the article about the 300lb pentathlete (who, yes, has to deal with social pressures due to his unusual build) I wouldn’t even blink.
But law enforcement in the US are eager to invoke stereotypes if it will get them closer to securing an arrest / conviction.
Ideally, you do what helps become invisible to police officers.
When cops don’t know the laws they are enforcing and thus telling your rights is not only seen as demeaning since it’s their job to know, but makes them actively hostile and more likely to violate those rights out of embarrassment, it’s a no win scenario. Better to just go along with their security theater and say as little as possible outside of answering direct questions.
You only have rights if you survive the encounter first.
A few years ago, I was pulled over after waving at a cop as we locked eyes while still stopped at an intersection. He said it was because my seat belt wasn’t on, even though it was and I was in a lime green shirt so the dark gray belt should have been pretty visible across my chest and he wanted to argue that I put it on as he was pulling me over. To which I pointed out my dashcam system, said my belt was on the entire time and I could show him the video right now if he wanted. He just got pissed and gave me a ticket anyway. “Ok, but I have proof that you’re wrong so this is just a huge waste of everyone’s time,” I said as he walked away.
Fucker didn’t even show up to court so it was thrown out. Really was just wasting everyone’s time. Mine. His. And the courthouse’s.
Should have been a black mark on his record.
Keep Pokemon Go on your phone, when they approach, open the app and then nerd the fuck out on them about whatever Pokemon are nearby and try to recruit them, they’ll leave you alone real quick.
“Sir, do i detect an herb smell?”
“Yeah I think there’s an oddish around here somewhere. Want to help me look?”
The cop mentality is all about feeling superior, so the last thing you want is to challenge him. Probably gets angry real quick and maybe even violent.
You have to treat them as if they are criminals. Don’t upset them, stay quiet, try to act submissive.
How you want the world to treat you or the car only exists in your head. In reality, people gets treated after how they are perceived by others.
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that puts em in fight or flight mode and pigs don’t fly.
😂 Love that line!
“What seems to be the problem officer?” Is how you should start every conversation with the police. Be polite, respectful, and firm in your rights. And most importantly don’t say more than the answer to legal questions.
I’d just show them my ID.
Well, go buy a shitty minivan and drive it through some small towns and then after you get harassed you might get fed up a little. Maybe I was too ambiguous with the post title…I should have posted “what should I do” rather than “what do you do”
i also live in a shitty minivan… getting it over with as quickly and politely as possible is actually your best bet.
one lovely cop expression is “you only need one nail to hang your hat on”, meaning: they can pretty much arrest you at any time because there’s always some crime or suspicion of a crime they can get you for…
or another way to frame it is: at the end of the day, cops with guns will do what they want… so don’t make them want to do anything…
or, more directly, in my decades of vagabond experience… do not try to argue, debate or shame the cops, unless you really want a couple of tickets and several court dates to argue your position…
“i smell burnt marijuana”, for example, is a cop’s goto for searching your van… ive seen them say it when there was definitely no weed around… but that’s not going to help you, until after a bunch of court and bullshit…
…
basically there’s no way to make all cops respect your rights without some tedious court shit… you may be legally correct, but that doesn’t help until much later…
…
pragmatically, you can try to blend in more… paint rusy spots, etc and make your van look more normy… keep your van clean and free of any character… any self expression…
clear dashboard, clean interior… make it look like you might not be camping in there.
…
another touch i like is leave some folders from the local city college on your dashboard.
there’s a huge difference in sympathy between a broke student living in their van, trying to pull up bootstraps or whatever, and what they imagine is some junky/psycho bum living in their van getting free rent.it’s a dumb world but just seeming friendly and sympathetic helps… they don’t have the framework to imagine what you’re going through…
housey-psychology is all guesswork, but it seems like college, musician/artist, and having a dog helps…
definitely seeming as clean and organized as possible helps… any evidence of beer and you’re automatically a scumbag…
reddit sucks, obviously, but the vagabond and vanliving subs have good resources…
Best bet? Get some local PD/Sherrif or PBA (or equivalent) stickers and place near the rear license plate and on the glass by the driver side A pillar.
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Lol, no it doesn’t and no don’t do this. Especially don’t do it on a “ghetto” looking van. This will make you even more of a target.
This moron has a PD sticker thinking we’ll leave him alone. Obviously he’s up to something.
